Erasmus
Some of the teachers in Scoil Bhríde have gone on Erasmus courses in Europe over the last year. Ms. Doyle and Ms. Young went to Iceland where they learned all about the importance of bringing school life to the outdoors. Ms. Sheehan and Ms. Downes went to Barcelona in May where they learned about creating a positive school environment for the staff and students of our school. They shared some of their learnings with the staff on our first Croke Park day in September and will do so again throughout the year. Ms. Barrett went to Sicily where she completed a course in Yoga and Meditation. In August, Ms. Sheehan, Ms. Downes and Ms. Clohessy embarked on the same course in Florence. They will begin an e-twinning project with their classes and some of the children from a school in Greece in the coming weeks.
The courses have provided an amazing opportunity for the teachers to learn new skills and gain knowledge from our European counterparts and then share our learnings with our students and other staff members. Ms. Doyle, Ms. Young, Mr. Nerney and Mr. Stritch will go away in October.
Happy Hearts, Bright Minds: Growing Positivity Together
Happy Hearts, Bright Minds is an engaging eTwinning project designed for primary school students from Greece and Ireland. This project aims to introduce young learners to the principles of Positive Education, focusing on building happiness, kindness, and resilience in both the classroom and their everyday lives.
The project will begin with simple, age-appropriate activities that help students recognize and celebrate their own strengths and the strengths of their peers. Through storytelling, creative arts, and group games, children will explore concepts such as gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness.
Each month, students from the partner schools will participate in shared activities, such as creating Kindness Calendars, where they record daily acts of kindness or crafting Happiness Boxes, filled with things that make them feel joyful and safe.
These activities will be shared through video exchanges, allowing students to learn from and connect with their peers in other countries.
Additionally, the project will include Mindful Moments, short daily practices where students focus on their breathing, practice being calm, and reflect on what makes them feelgood. Teachers will guide these sessions, helping students develop simple mindfulness habits that they can use throughout their lives.
Throughout Happy Hearts, Bright Minds, students will work together to create a Positivity Poster that represents the shared values and positive experiences they’ve learned during the project. This poster will be a collaborative piece of art, with each school contributing drawings, words, and symbols that reflect their journey.
The project will culminate in a virtual Positivity Parade, where students will present their posters, share their experiences, and celebrate the friendships they’ve made. This final event will not only highlight the creative work of the students but also reinforce the importance of positivity, kindness, and well-being in their young lives.
By the end of the project, students will have a stronger understanding of how to be kind to themselves and others, how to appreciate the good things in life, and how to stay positive even when things get tough. Happy Hearts, Bright Minds will leave a lasting impact on these young learners, setting the foundation for a lifetime of well-being and happiness.
Erasmus+: Exploring the development of student well-being through a global lens
We have fully completed our first Erasmus+ project in Scoil Bhríde Clane. This project was funded through the Erasmus+ programme and supported by the National agency Léargas who managed the project and funding on behalf of the EU. We had 8 teachers take part in 12 mobilities. Teachers undertook CPD training courses abroad where they worked closely with and networked with European colleagues.
The knowledge gained was shared with all teachers to help our school best deliver a holistic child centred learning experience while promoting student and staff Well-being.
Our schools eTwinning project “Bright Mind, Happy Hearts” won an award the thematic prize for dealing with the 2024 eTwinning Annual theme of Wellbeing at School. The eTwinning project had further enhanced multicultural learning in our school. The prize money from this award was used to buy a new speaker for the school which can be enjoyed by classes during PE and outdoor lessons and be used for discos during yard time by the active school leaders.
This project has really helped to develop staff and student well-being. All courses completed were linked to the areas of wellness and positive psychology. They explored well-being and mindfulness from many different outlooks for example wellness through outdoor education, yoga, mindfulness and through play. Our teachers got to explore best child centred practices for implementing the curriculum while also promoting student well- being. They gained and a wide range of methodologies, pedagogies, and practical ideas to implement the theory and
wellbeing in the classroom which was shared all school staff.
It was very beneficial to open our school community to Europe to view the different teaching styles of our European counterparts. We have implemented this learning to help further provide a positive education experience for our pupils in the multicultural society. This along with our eTwinning project has enables us to develop a better sense of global citizenship.